20 December 2012

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued a formal warning to Bupa Care Homes (AKW) Ltd that it must make urgent improvements at a nursing home in Wimbledon, south west London.

A warning notice has been issued following an unannounced inspection of Heathland Court Care Centre, in Parkside, in October.

CQC found that there were not always enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs in a timely fashion. Staffing levels did not reflect individual needs, including moving and handling and personal care needs. This was confirmed by staff.

Inspectors observed that people were left unsupervised in a communal lounge for a period of time in the morning, and that there were insufficient staff on duty to support people to eat and drink at lunchtime.

Matthew Trainer, Deputy Director of CQC in London, said:

“We check the national standards of quality and safety in care that the law says everyone should be able to expect. These standards exist to protect people who cannot always speak up for themselves from being put at risk of harm.

“There should be enough staff on duty at all times to meet people’s individual needs. If there are not enough staff, this can put people at unacceptable risk of harm.

“Our inspectors will return in the near future to carry out another unannounced inspection. If we find that the home is not making the required progress we won’t hesitate to use our legal powers further to protect the people who live there.”

Ends

For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9239 or out of hours on 07917 232143.

Notes to editors

If the required improvements are not made, CQC has a range of enforcement powers which include restricting the services that a provider can offer, or, in the most serious cases, suspending or cancelling a service. CQC can also issue financial penalty notices and cautions or prosecute the provider for failing to meet essential standards. Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.

About the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.

We monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find to help people choose care.